Because people prefer paper documents for some tasks such as reading or annotating documents while electronic documents seem to be preferred for tasks such as storing, searching or communicating, it is desirable to provide document systems that maximize the user-friendly aspects of both approaches.
Unfortunately, there has been a large technological barrier between the paper and electronic documentation worlds. For example, electronic symbols may be readily converted into a printed page, but printed documents are not readily translated into compact electronic symbols. Also, the human interface with each of the mediums are radically different: writing on paper (or similar surfaces) comes naturally to children, while creating electronic documents generally requires the use of application software, keyboard, mouse, display, etc.
The present invention provides a human interface input/output device that is:
(a) small and portable, PA1 (b) natural to use as a pen, PA1 (c) works with both electronic and paper documents, and PA1 (d) avoids complications and inconveniences of devices such as bulky scanners and digital pads. PA1 (a) a physical document page with a surface suitable to be written upon that can also contain pre-printed document information; PA1 (b) a pen-instrument for writing on the physical document surface, the pen-instrument having suitable transducers for sensing both the written data and the multi-dimensional physical forces (e.g. up to three rectilinear and two rotational components) exerted on the pen instrument when writing and for reading pre-printed digital codes, and a communication link to transmit the transducer data to a base unit; and PA1 (c) a base unit for receiving the transducer data and converting the transducer data to binary digital information suitable for processing in the base unit CPU, or another computer, for document identification and for incorporating the written information with the pre-printed document information.
As a result, users can readily create or manipulate paper documents while simultaneously making corresponding electronically-coded images of the same created or manipulated paper document. This is accomplished by means of a hand-held, pen-like instrument that can write on paper documents, simultaneously sense the writing, and interpret and enter the written markings in the electronically-coded document. Also, image sensing allows the system to identify the type of document being subjected to manually-written modifications.